This application incorporates by reference Taiwanese application Serial No. 89214399, Filed Aug. 18, 2000.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a scanning apparatus which is able to power on automatically, and more particularly to a scanner which has an opening substantially above the start point of the carriage and protected by the glass plate.
2. Description of the Related Art
The integration and application of multi-media are now an overwhelming trend along with the advance and development of the technology. Multi-media include text, voice and image. Within all kinds of apparatus for capturing data, voice or image, image scanning apparatus is now a widely used one.
An auto-power on scanning apparatus is proposed by Mustek Systems Inc. in a R.O.C. patent no. 343029, which is illustrated in FIG. 1. The conventional flatbed scanner as shown in FIG.1 includes a main body 102 and a lid 104. The scanning board 103, which is the upper surface of the main body, supports the document to be scanned. The lid 104 is hinged to the board 103 by a hinge 106 so that the lid 104 can be shut and lifted freely. There is an opening 108 of the board 103 near the hinge 106. A pattern 110 projects from the lid 104 matches the opening 108.
FIG. 2 is the side cross-sectional view of the flatbed scanner as shown in FIG. 1, while the lid 104 is lifted. The scanner is equipped with a carriage 112 inside the main body 102. The carriage 112 includes a light source 114 and a photo sensing module 116, such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) or contact image sensor (CIS). The opening 108 is just above the photo sensing module 116. While the lid 104 is lifted, the light emitted by the light source 114 reaches the lid 104 through the opening 108 but no reflected light from the pattern 100 through the opening 108 can be sensed by the photo sensing module 116. The scanning program is then automatically started.
While the lid 104 is shut, as shown in FIG. 3, the light emitted from the light source 114 is transmitted through the opening 108 and reflected by the pattern 110 on the lid 104. The light reflected from the pattern 110 then is transmitted through the opening 108 and is received by the photo sensing module 116. The scanning program not started in this situation.
However, the auto-power on scanning apparatus has several disadvantages. First, dust may drop into the interior of the main body 102 of the scanner through the opening 108. Second, the projected design of the pattern 110 is rather fragile and could easily be broken. Third, the projected pattern 110 needs a special package to protect itself, which obviously needs extra cost.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a scanning apparatus which is able to automatically power on but without the above-mentioned problems by forming an opening above the glass plate.
The invention achieves the above-identified objects by providing a scanning apparatus capable of automatically powering on. The scanning apparatus comprises a main body, a lid, a carriage inside the main body, and a scanner board. The lid is hinged to the main body. The scanner frame and extended under the scanner frame. The scanner board further includes an opening on the scanner frame. The opening exposes the glass plate thereunder and the opening is substantially above the start point of the carriage.